I'm a "Real" Parent now...(I'm gloating a bit")

One day after the kids are grown and moved out I am starting a group...Parents Anonymous. It will be for recovering parents who have just endured years of whirl wind emotions....ups, downs, highs, lows...and all the in between. I started this journey almost 14 years ago. I was 18 years old. Obviously starting before all of my friends I didn't really have anyone to go to who really understood what I was experiencing (besides my mom). But I wasn't scared. I don't ever remember a time when I thought I couldn't do it. And I don't ever recall having as much emotions as I did last night.

You see my Princesses arrival into the world wasn't the norm. First she had a teenage mom who was married to a mostly absent father, and was whisked away in the middle of her first night to the NICU where she struggled to breath her first few days of life. She then got pneumonia and jaundice. I was scared at this point...but her doctors and nurses were awesome in calming my fears and letting me know she was going to be alright. When I brought her home we had a home nurse that continued to come by for a few weeks to give her shots daily.

Then she started growing and thriving...amazing me at every turn. Then within her first year of life her young parents divorced and she was now stuck with a single mother and no father. I was a full time student going to college, worked as a waitress on weekends, and mommy the rest of the time. I was determined to provide the best life I could give her...

Okay moving on..."Daddy's" adoption was a long process..but was final by the time she was 5. He is all she has ever known. And together we have raised her the best we could. We are "adults" now...raising children, paying bills, coaching teams, encouraging and fostering all their learning...and the list goes on. But in the back of my head sometimes I don't see myself as this "adult parent"...the "teen parent" vision is often present and I wonder how being born to such a young mother has affected Princess. Could I have provided more? Should I have done things differently? Did I do everything I could to get her to where she needs to be?

Well last night it all became clear. In one single night. And my sense of pride and accomplishment was through the roof.

You see last night I had to attend a career fair at the high school that she will be attending next year. We had to walk through a cafeteria filled w/ various classes that we would be registering her for. I all of the sudden went into panic mode. What if I choose wrong? This could affect her whole career. Have I done everything I could to make sure she is ready for this?

They had counselors and a graduation coach on hand to guide us in our decisions and answer any questions. (I know this post is super long...bare with me I'm getting to the point:)

Anyway, after speaking to several teachers and counselors Princess has decided to choose Healthcare and Services as one of her electives. Several of her 8th grade classes are already counting towards her high school credits and after pulling her test scores, grades, and current course load she will be placed in honors/AP classes next year..when she first enters high school! The Healthcare teacher told her she had the brains of a surgeon! This assured me I have done everything I can to provide and teach and push her in the right direction educationally.

So all at once her little life brought me the most astonishing amount of pride and accomplishment. You see the school district we live in is rated 10th in the state...her high school as received a platinum award in education...one of ten schools out of 480 in the state to receive this award. Her school is one of the only schools to provide this specific healthcare and services class...it's a basic training of becoming a nurse/doctor or anything else in the medical field. It will allow her to begin working in the healthcare field her senior year and throughout her college years and could possibly guarantee her a career opportunity upon graduation. This solidified that we are able to provide for her the best education possible and have been raising her in the right community.

All in one night I realized I am a "real" parent! I am doing my job to the best of my ability and my child is reaping the rewards! So besides the fact that she started out in not the best of circumstances...I feel PRIDE that I have turned her statistical situation around...and hopefully we will continue on this path of great accomplishments.

Now I know I can do anything I set my mind too!

And on a totally different note...I rocked two runs this week w/ the weather being in the 50's. It's supposed to start raining again tonight and tomorrow...so I will head to the gym (although I'm not against running in the rain...I haven't done any strength training...and I'm ready for a body transformation!)